41. Lina
Lina
Emotions clogged my throat the moment the pharmacy came into sight.
I could barely bid Jonathan’s mom and her friend, Kham, a polite goodbye and a thank you for bringing us back.
Guilt dripped down the hollow of my spine and pooled at the base of my back—leaving a cold and unforgiving chill across my skin.
Jonathan turned to me as I continued to stand in the parking lot, looking at it head-on. Neng must have left the pharmacy in shambles if Grace, Carmen, and Sheryl’s cars were still here. They must still be cleaning up. Another icy wave of emotions washed over me, weighing me down further.
“You okay?” he asked.
He tugged my clammy hand just slightly to drag my attention to him. I refused to look him in the eyes, making sure to look at his chest instead. Seeing the bandage on his eyebrow only made me feel worse about everything, and now we were back where it all happened.
“I’m fine,” I breathed through the emotions building at the back of my throat.
“You don’t sound fine,” he countered at once. “You’re not looking me in the eyes either. What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” I choked.
Jonathan’s gentle fingertips touched my chin and lifted my gaze to meet his. He sighed, voice gentle, with lightly knitted brows and a deep frown tugging at his lips. “You’ve apologized enough, Lina. Don’t torture yourself with this guilt. It’ll all be okay.”
I shook my head. “I can change myself and how I move in the world. But I can’t change my family and the way they are.
” My voice was hoarse and raw. “This isn’t the first time my mom’s done this.
She won’t hesitate to do it again. She did it at my last job, and I was constantly caught off guard whenever she showed up and made a scene.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she barged in and did the same thing all over again. ”
Jonathan’s face twisted as he let out a heavy breath. Thoughts formed behind his eyes as both his hands gently clasped my shoulders, as if he were scared I’d slip through his fingers.
“I can leave.” I nodded, shakily. “If you give me time, I’ll leave.
I left my previous position because I couldn’t handle my mom coming in and causing all sorts of problems on top of the stress of being overworked.
You and the team should never have to deal with my family’s antics. Only I should. I—”
“You’re not leaving, Lina,” Jonathan interrupted me. His hold on me tightened. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. You should never apologize for the things that are out of your control. It’s not your fault.”
“But it is!” My breath shuddered. Blazing tears seared and filled my eyes. “If I had picked up my mom’s calls, then none of this would’ve happened. It was all me. If I hadn’t been so selfish, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I’m sorry.”
He reached for my face and held me gently. “I would do anything to make sure the woman I love is safe. Even if that means risking an eyebrow.”
“So, you’d even risk your life? What if it hadn’t been a chair? What if it was something else? What if my brother had a knife or a gun?” I barely managed to mutter. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if we lost you because of me, Jonathan.”
“I also wouldn’t know what to do if you were the one hurt.
You really think I’d sit back and let horrible things happen to you?
Or that I’d stand there and just watch you suffer?
” He countered, wiping the corners of my eyes.
“I’m yours, Lina—your man and protector.
As long as I’m at your side, I promise I will always be your shield.
From your family, from your struggles, and from whatever weighs down your mind and heart. Let me be this for you, please.”
My bottom lip quaked as my fingers slid up. I gingerly touched the bandage on his eyebrow and at the suffering my family and I had caused him. “You and your family are too understanding,” I rasped.
“My family isn’t an exception, though. Your family may have issues, but so does mine.
We have our own faults, misunderstandings, and problems as well.
” He sighed. “We’re not perfect. We’re only human.
Like your mom and brother. I only hope whatever happened today will teach them a lesson to never treat you like that again. ”
The furrow between my brows softened. My rigid body relaxed despite the frown still weighing down the lines of my lips. I exhaled a long, exhausted breath.
“I’m hoping the same thing,” I whispered.
“If not, it is what it is. We will just bear the rage of your family’s storms together.” He shrugged, as if everything that occurred had been merely a minor incident.
“We?” I blinked. Streams of tears fell onto his fingers as he wiped them away.
“Yeah, you and me.” He smiled softly.
“You’re not scared of them and the drama they bring?”
He cocked a brow at me, confused. “Am I supposed to be?” I stilled, and Jonathan blinked. He snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me into his chest. “I’m not afraid of your family, Lina. And I refuse to let them disrespect you the way they think they can.”
My vision grew hazy again. “Jonathan.”
“You don’t have to leave our pharmacy if you don’t want to. Our team appreciates you here with us. I appreciate having you here with us. Stay, Lina, please,” he said.
I laughed softly. “I thought you were counting down the days until I left. You even mentioned you never liked me and didn’t look forward to working with me. Aren’t you being quite biased as the pharmacy manager, Dr. Lo?”
“Biased or not, you’re a good pharmacist. That much is true.
You are diligent and aren’t afraid to step in and help wherever necessary.
You’re a team player and a hard worker. We need a pharmacist like you, Dr. Lee.
” He scoffed, pulling out of our embrace to look down at me with this proud grin.
“I’m asking you to stay with us if you like.
Not as your pharmacy manager, but as a colleague. ”
Jonathan glanced at his side. I heard footsteps approaching; a group of people were only a few steps away from us. I stumbled away from him to create some distance between us, especially in front of the pharmacy owner.
Dr. John Tsukamoto was of an average but sturdy build. The lines on his face were deep and hard as his expression pinched into a tight knot. Our pharmacy technicians were in tow behind him, along with a man who looked like the younger version of John.
“What are you two doing here?” John asked sharply.
“We wanted to make sure everyone and the pharmacy were fine. I’d feel a lot better if—” Jonathan started.
“Are you serious?” John interrupted. “You were just at the ER because of an assault, and you still came back to make sure the pharmacy is fine? Go home, Jonathan. Everything here has already been taken care of.”
“What about the glass and tomorrow’s operations—” my boyfriend continued.
“Go home and rest, son,” insisted John. He pointed to the man in the back whom I had never met before. “Matt, Grace, Carmen, Sheryl, and I were able to clean everything properly. The pharmacy will be back up and running tomorrow morning.”
Although it would be more reasonable for the pharmacy to stay closed for another day—so our staff could recuperate after today’s traumatic event—I wasn’t surprised we’d be operating as usual tomorrow. The pharmacy was still a business, after all. Not mine or Jonathan’s, but John’s. It was his call.
“Sure thing, boss,” said Jonathan.
John nodded, glancing at the two of us. He arched a soft yet curious brow at us. “You two do understand we have strict policies regarding interpersonal and romantic relationships, correct?” he stated.
Jonathan and I straightened at once. “Yes, sir,” I answered this time.
John turned to look at me and then my boyfriend. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d be in a relationship with an employee, Jonathan. You’ve always been professional since the day you started working with me as a young pharmacy tech,” he said.
The air around us stifled as Jonathan went still. While my movements grew heavy with nervousness, his became quiet. John’s gaze continued to stay on him as he spoke.
“As someone who has had the delight of watching you grow into the man you are today, I’m excited to see you with someone composed and immensely capable, Dr. Lo.
” His tone grew softer as he turned back to me with an equally gentle smile.
“Dr. Lee, I trust that you two will keep your personal relationship from affecting your performance and continue to maintain professional conduct within the pharmacy.”
“Yes, sir,” we answered in unison.
John nodded slowly. “Good, good. Although it may be excessive, I’ll have to reach out to my employment law attorney to draft a contract for the two of you.
This is to formally acknowledge that your relationship is a consensual romantic relationship and establish its voluntary nature,” he said.
“Jonathan, you are Lina’s manager. With that power imbalance, I want you two to understand the clear framework of your professional conduct going forward. ”
He looked over his shoulders at Grace, Carmen, and Sheryl. “Never hesitate to contact me if your manager oversteps the bounds of his position. I believe I can trust all three of you to be my eyes and ears.”
“Yes, sir,” they all answered quickly.
“Dad!” exclaimed the man I wasn’t familiar with. “You don’t have to put everyone on the spot like that!”
“It’s alright, Matt,” Jonathan said, smiling to ease the seriousness of the conversation. “The pharmacy employee handbook clearly states fraternization between employees is prohibited. Your father is just making sure he’s properly covering his bases. Right, John?”
“I have to,” said our boss. “Unfortunately, that’s what you have to do as the big boss.”
Jonathan’s smile grew wider. “No need to worry, Dr. Tsukamoto. Dr. Lee and I are well aware of the pharmacy’s work policies. Our relationship will remain strictly personal and out of the pharmacy.”
The older man nodded again, and I took my chance to speak up. “I apologize for what happened. If you would like to take money out of my pay to cover the costs of any repairs, please don’t hesitate to do so.”
“That won’t be necessary, Lina,” John said, waving his hand dismissively.
“I should be the one to apologize to you all. I shouldn’t have waited so long to change the glass divider to Plexiglas for everyone’s safety.
That divider has been there for essentially thirty-odd years, and I never thought it’d be a problem. This was an oversight on my part.”
I wanted to say more, but my words were cut short.
“It’s not for you to worry about. We have insurance for a reason. I’ll let them deal with it,” John stated firmly. I nodded as he glanced at me, Jonathan, and our bloody shirts. “You two should go home and rest. It’ll be another long day tomorrow.”
John gave us one final smile before going back into the pharmacy.
Grace, Carmen, Sheryl, and Matt stayed behind.
Jonathan and Matt seemed to be friendly with one another as they greeted each other with wide grins.
Grace, Carmen, and Sheryl looked relieved.
I tried my best to give all of them a smile, but it wobbled and shook.
“I’m so sorry for everything that happened,” I said to them.
“It’s alright, Lina,” said Grace. “I could tell you tried your best to stay calm.”
My head bobbed up and down stiffly. I looked over at Sheryl. “Thank you for calling the police.”
“Of course,” she said.
Carmen spoke up, “It’s a good thing you and Jonathan are fine.”
I reached for each of their hands and squeezed them tightly. “Thank you, all of you, for telling me to go with Jonathan.”
The three women shared the same knowing grin. They shrugged. “We figured something was going on,” Sheryl said, rather excitedly. My eyes grew wide, and my cheeks flamed.
Carmen laughed. “You two were discreet, but we knew something happened the week you both showed up with Jonathan openly watching you from across the room.”
“Before, he just pretended he didn’t notice you,” commented Grace. “After that week, he’d stand at his station and watch you from afar.”
Note to self: tell Jonathan to stop staring at me while we’re on the floor, I thought with blazing cheeks.
“I-I see,” I managed to say.
They glanced at each other, chuckling as Jonathan walked over with Matt and introduced me to the man. As I expected, he was John’s son. He had worked with Jonathan before as a pharmacy technician. Unfortunately, retail pharmacy wasn’t for him and he was now in business instead.
“I’ll try to convince my dad to shut the pharmacy down for another day,” said Matt. “Judging from what I saw on the security footage, you all went through a lot and must still be shaken up by it.”
“Thanks, Matt. We’d appreciate it,” Jonathan said, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it.
“No problem, man. Just rest easy. I’ll try to give you all an update later,” he said before heading back into the pharmacy.
Grace, Carmen, and Sheryl also called it a day after bidding us a quick goodbye, leaving us alone. I sighed, finally able to relax my rigid spine, though exhaustion seeped into my bones and my eyelids grew heavy.
“Ready to go eat, head home, and go to bed?” asked Jonathan.
“Yes, please,” I said. “Hopefully the pharmacy is closed tomorrow.”
He scoffed. “No. Running a pharmacy as an owner isn’t easy, so I doubt it. Matt will do as much as he can to convince his dad, I’m sure. But I’m pretty certain we’re expected to open up on the dot tomorrow with a plastered smile like nothing happened.”
“True. We are in retail pharmacy, after all.”
Jonathan nodded. “Exactly.”
To our utter surprise that night, we weren’t opening the pharmacy for another day.